Kerala Dalit groups demand Rs 10 crore compensation after BDS student death at Kannur college

An action council of several Dalit organisations in Kerala on Tuesday demanded Rs 10 crore compensation from the state government for the family of a first-year BDS student who died after falling from a building at Kannur Dental College in a suspected suicide case. In a press conference here, the action council also demanded stringent action against faculty members accused of being responsible for the death of the student, Nithin Raj (22), a first-year BDS student at the private dental college in Anjarakandy.

Raj was found critically injured after falling from the building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries. The council also called for a statewide hartal in Kerala on April 28 to protest the student's death, alleging "institutional murder" rather than suicide. It also demanded a High Court-monitored probe into the student's death. Raj's father visited the dental college along with family members during the day.

Also read Kannur Dental College says no caste angle in BDS student death, blames loan app harassment

He broke down when he reached the place where his son was found injured after falling from the building. Police have registered a case against two faculty members for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations that Raj was harassed over his caste and complexion. Dr M K Ram and Dr Sangeetha have been named as accused in the case for abetment of suicide and offences under the SC/ST Act.

They have filed petitions seeking anticipatory bail before a district court. Additionally, police have lodged two FIRs against separate online loan apps in connection with the student's death and arrested three persons from Uttar Pradesh in one of the cases. The three arrested individuals were reportedly running a loan app operation from Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Raj's family has claimed that the loan issue alone could not have led to his death.